God’s justice and mercy are often focused on the poor, especially in the Old Testament.

Some passages are explicit.

Proverbs 14:31:

“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him”.

Some passages are more nuanced, as we often find in scripture. It is fascinating to find hidden gems that reveal God’s truth.

Leviticus 2:1-3

When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial[a] portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the LORD.

Without background knowledge, the expression of care for the poor may not be apparent.

In antiquity, the Near East was an honor-shame society where wealth was seen as a sign of divine favor.

In Leviticus, God demonstrates his favor for the poor.

A grain offering was more affordable than an animal offering (all of which were done for the atonement of sins, a work of grace Christ completed). This meant the poor also had access to God’s grace through a grain offering. The passage shows that God affirms the human dignity of the poor.

Why does God’s justice and mercy often focus on the poor, the oppressed, the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan?

The marginalized are victims of a broken world, broken by sin. The plight of the poor is often a result of the sin and injustice inflicted upon them by others. In His compassion, God addresses the suffering and the systemic effects of sin in the world.

It is also an expression of his grace, demonstrating there is salvation for all who suffer.

And in a broken world, that is all of us.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”